Freezing-tank for ice-machines.



PATENTBD OCT. 27 1903. T. H. BUTLER. FREEZING TANK FOR IEE MACHINES.

' APPLICATION FILED D 30; 12. 1962.

N0 MODEL.

[N VE 1V T Wh ne FIG. I.

lfl lVlT/VESSES tie. 742,582

UNITED STATES iatented October 27, 1903.

PATENT FFICE.

FREEZING-TANK FOR ICE-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,582, dated October27, 1903. Application filed December 12, 1902. Serial No. 134,921. (Nomodel.)

. more city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Freezing-Tanks for Ice-Machines; and I dohereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

- This invention relates to freezing-tanks for ice-machines; and itconsists in the novel con-.

struction and combination of the parts hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section through a freezing-tankconstructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a partial plan viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of portions of thethawing-chambers, drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectiontaken on the line w a; in Fig. 3.

The freezing-tank Ainay be constructed of any approved material; but incarrying out this invention it is preferably formed of wood. As thesefreezing-tanks are large and contain a great weight of water, the woodis cut into the form of rectangular logs a, which are built up side byside and one above the other, so as to form a tank of the required size.

Packing material B is placed between the logs of wood and is compressedby means of bolts 0, which are passed transversely through holes in thelogs and which are provided with suitable nuts, so that the packing istightly compressed between the logs, and the tank is thereby renderedwater-tight. In this manner no calking is required. As the waterpressureis inside the tank, all calking would have to be done on the inside ofthe tank, and same cannot bedone satisfactorily because of theinaccessibility of parts of the inside. of the tank, especially afterthe freezing-plates and thawing-chambers have been placedin position.

The packing B is preferably formed of indiarubber, and it is placedbetween the logs in the form of sheets or plates having openings 1) attheir middle parts, so that the packing extends around the logs adjacentto their side edges.

The bolts (3 pass through the openings 1) in the sheets of packingmaterial'and as many bolts are used as are found requisite. In order toavoid unnecessary labor in boring auger-holes, and also to avoidconflict of bolts, eyebolts C are used wherever convenient, as at thesides of the tank. These eye bolts are arranged horizontally and theireyes engage with the vertical bolts 0 at the ends of the tank.

Each freezing-tank is divided into sections by partitions D, which aresimilar to the ends of the tank. Each section is practically a completefreezing-tankin itself; but material is saved by making the tanks longand dividing them into sections by partitions.

E represents the freezing-plates secured in the tank and arrangedcrosswise of it. The tank-section shown in Fig. 2 has threefreezing-plates; but any desired number may be used.

These'freezing-plates are of any approved construction used for formingice by what is known as the plate system. Each freezing-plate preferablyconsists of a chamber containing pipe-coils, through which refrigeratedbrine is conducted in any approved manner.

The water is frozen in the tank by contact with the freezing-plates, andthe cakes of ice are subsequently detached from the freezingplaies byadmitting hot fluid to the freezingplates in place of the refrigeratedbrine.

In order to prevent the ice from adhering to the sides and bottom of thetank, thawingchambers G and H are provided at the sides and bottom ofthe tank, respectively. The bottom chambers Hare provided withcorrugations g, which support the upper plates of the said chambers,.and tubular distancepieces g are inserted in the corrugations, so as tosupport the upper plates at intermediate points. The corrugations anddistancepieces prevent the upper plates from being bent or crushed'in bythe ice above them.

At times the weight of the ice may come wholly upon these upper plates,or an icecake may be broken in lifting it out, so that it is necessarythat the bottom chambers be made so as to resist pressure and impact.The corrugations and distance-pieces do not extend for the full lengthof the chambers H, so that passages 3 are formed at the ends of thechambers, which establish communication between all the internal spacesof the chambers. F is packing between the tank and the thawing chambers.The bottom chambers are provided with upwardly-projecting nozzles h attheir ends, which engage with holes in the bottoms of the side chambersG. These nozzles h are preferably oblong in form, and packing materialIt is arranged around them, if desired, or the nozzles and holes areconstructedin anyimproved way so as to make water-tight joints.

I represents bolts having T- shaped lower ends 2', which are droppedthrough the nozzles and are then turned a quarter around, so as toengage with the bottom chambers. The bolts I pass through the sidechambers G and have nuts 2" at their upper ends, so that the bottomchambers and the side chambers may be drawn together to form watertightjoints.

After the cakes of ice have been formed in the tank hot fluid isadmitted to the chambers G and H, which are in communication through thenozzles h, and the surfaces of the ice-cakes are thawed, so that theice-cakes can be lifted out of the tank by suitable anchor-bars andhoisting mechanism. The hot fluid is subsequently drained oif from thethawing-chambers through suitable pipes and faucets, which are notshown.

Wooden tanks formed in this manner are cheaper to construct than irontanks. They never become rusty, and they are more easily shipped inseparate parts or sections to disput together where required tant partsand for use.

I do not herein claim the construction of the tank itself, as the sameis described and claimed in a divisional application filed April 4,1903, Serial No. 151,160.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with a freezing-tank, of a bottomthawing-chamber arranged in the said tank, side thawing-chambersarranged over the end portions of the said bottom chamber, water-tightnozzles connecting the said bottom and side chambers, and fasteningboltswhich pass through the said side chambers and nozzles and which engagewith the said bottom chamber.

2. The combination, with a freezing-tank provided with a freezing-plate,of a bottom thawing-chamber provided with oblong nozzles at its endportions, side thawing-chambers having holes which engage with the saidnozzles, and bolts which pass through the said-side chambers and nozzlesand which hold the said chambers in water-tight connection,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a freezing-tank provided with a freezing-plate,of a thawingchamber provided with corrugations and tubulardistance-pieces in the said corrugations which prevent the said chamberfrom being distorted by pressure or impact, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. BUTLER.

\Vitnesses:

JAMEs R. BATE, J. MILTON LYELL.

